32 juniors from Hazelwood East High School participated in the U.S. ARMY and 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis College Tour Day at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. During this full-day event, the students were greeted by the president of the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis, Leroy Shumpert, Jr.
Participating Students received information about the college admissions process and scholarship opportunities through UMSL. Hazelwood East Junior, Sarah Battle talks about what she learned;
“During the trip to UMSL, I learned how important it is to make sure that, even if it’s not your dream college, you need to apply to every and any college that you can, in and out of state. Before going on the trip, I was set on my dream college only. Now, I’ve realized that, even though UMSL isn’t my top choice, that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have a few backup plans. I saw a lot of things that peaked my interest in UMSL and it reminded me that my goal is to go to college, even if it isn’t the college of my dreams”.
The day ended with discussions regarding the opportunities that are available through the US Army, including the ROTC programs throughout various colleges and universities.
Battle adds, “During the roundtable discussion, I learned how many benefits there are in joining the United States Military. I already had some prior knowledge, with multiple family [members] in the military, but there were many things I did not know. For example, the free education and discounts. Another thing that I learned was that there were many scholarship opportunities for minorities. This motivated (and comforted) me even more, knowing that there were so many options for me to be able to go to college with help so that my parents wouldn’t have to pay an ‘arm and a leg’ for my continued education.”
Students at East are well on their way to achieving their goals and dreams, thanks to programs like these. Battle has big dreams, herself.
“…my life plan has always been to change the world and/or to make an impact and to make people feel, dream, and wonder”.
